Ethical Tequila

Ethical Drinking: What You Need To Know About Tequila And Mezcal

Me So Horny

Just as consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the pros and cons of non-distiller produced or “sourced” whiskey, concepts of “authenticity” are important for tequila as well. For Andrew Friedman, owner of Liberty Bar in Seattle, hewing closely to traditional means of production, particularly when it comes to the cooking of the agave piña (converting its starches to distillable sugars), is the thing to keep in mind. ”Hornos” are brick or stone roasting ovens, where agave bake for 24 to 48 hours. The slow heat and long cooking time preserves agave notes and complexity, but add cost, time and labor. More modern cooking styles include large steel autoclaves (essentially large pressure cookers) and diffusers, where shredded raw agave is processed using very hot water under pressure for very fast cooking. Some naysayers call this technique “microwaved tequila.” For Friedman it betrays the authentic character of the spirit. “As a small business ourselves, we surely empathize with the plight of the smaller, more ‘traditional’ producers over the larger companies,” he says. “These distillers have a very, very difficult time competing.” Recently, Friedman made a concerted effort to focus on brands that cook only or primarily using hornos.

Old School — New School

Some large producers, like Patron, have found opportunities to hold onto the old ways. Last year the tequila giant debuted a range called Roca Patron, where all of the cooked agave is crushed under a massive stone wheel called a tahona with juice, fiber and all being tossed into the fermentation tank for a more intense, herbaceous flavor profile. But some say tradition only gets you so far. Photo courtesy of Omar Alonso

“Just because something is small and artisanal doesn’t automatically make it ‘good,’” notes Ilegal’s Rexer. “There are things that separate good production from bad, and part of that ties into sustainability and technology.” Mezcals that taste overly oily or heavily smoky may be poorly made, with smoke from too-young wood in the still impacting the distillate (mezcal’s traditional smoky notes come from cooking agave in earth ovens, well before distillation). All those young-wood fueled stills are eating up Oaxaca’s already sparse forests. “Going forward, people have to look back and say, ‘yes, there’s this beautiful traditional world we must protect.’ But if you’re not also looking at what we’ve learned from the mistakes of the past, you’re doing those communities a disservice. Maybe we could look at alternative energies like solar or gas to heat the stills. You need the wood for the ovens, yes, but not necessarily for the stills. If it turns out you don’t need it, why use it?”

Increases in demand also impact sustainability on a human scale as well, according to Rexer. For centuries (and perhaps longer), mezcal was produced largely as part of a subsistence farming model, created for family and neighbors. Locally, much of the daily demand for mezcal has been replaced by commercially available liquids, ranging from soda to beer and whisky. “If farmers can’t sustain their family making mezcal, they will turn to producing other things.” The challenge is that, while global demand for mezcal is on the rise, it is not yet enough to provide year-round income for many smaller producers. Rexer feels larger companies producing mainstreamed versions of mezcal may not necessarily be a bad thing. “The majority of small producers want to have a livelihood,” he notes. “For them, ‘sustainability’ means consistency of income, reliable partners and brands who take responsibility.”

Well, That’s Just, Like, Your Opinion, Man...

As with any impassioned cause, there’s a risk of going off the rails with the best of intentions. Just as unskilled volunteers in post-earthquake Haiti might scarf up much-needed local resources, it’s important to constantly evaluate whether we’re doing more harm than good when pushing certain initiatives.

“For the people working in the fields, or the families that own small distilleries, ‘sustainability’ may mean something different than it does for us,” notes Rexer, talking to the potential for technology upgrades and larger producers in the very traditional realm of Oaxacan mezcal. Bowen agrees: “It’s important to recognize that the interests of American consumers and bartenders, no matter how committed they are, are not always going to line up with those of Mexican farmers, workers and small producers.” She pushes for increased transparency in terms of how farmers and workers are paid, as well as how agave is supplied to the distilleries.